I’m not sure I agree that 3D was a bust, but we can agree that it wasn’t the commercial success that the TV OEMs would have liked. HDR on the other had is universally loved, but like [seemingly] every other format there has to be a “war” this time between HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It’s not quite the same thing as HD-DVD/Blu-ray, but it is important and if a 4K HDR display is on your wishlist you will want to understand the breakdown.

But for 2016 and beyond, there’s a new TV technology that’s actually worth caring about. It’s called HDR — short for high dynamic range, and it’s very different from HDR for your phone camera. When TV HDR is properly implemented, the contrast between the whitest whites and darkest blacks is accentuated, colors are more realistic and the entire image becomes more vibrant. HDR can look spectacular, creating a noticeable difference to the naked eye of everyday viewers — not just eagle-eyed videophiles.